An ambitious field of candidates for attorney general and lieutenant governor is hoping to draw the attention of voters who have been saturated by coverage of the higher profile races for governor and U.S. Senate.

They are among several primary races being held for California’s constitutional offices.

The outcome of the other contests will determine who will represent their respective parties this fall for the posts of chief financial officer, tax collector, insurance regulator and elections officer. The superintendent of public instruction is a nonpartisan post.

There are no contested nominations for state treasurer.

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and former Facebook privacy officer Chris Kelly are among the top Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for attorney general, with the winner likely facing Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, a Republican who has pursued prosecutions of fugitive film director Roman Polanski and Michael Jackson’s doctor.

Harris, who is billing herself as the reform candidate, has star power with celebrity donors, but also some political baggage.

Her office is embroiled in two high-profile controversies involving the San Francisco police crime lab and a lack of transparency about testifying officers’ criminal or disciplinary histories.

Kelly, a political outsider with no prosecutorial experience, has tried to capitalize on the scandals and remind voters of Harris’ reluctance to seek the death penalty and San Francisco’s reputation as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. Harris’ campaign has tied Kelly to concerns over Facebook’s privacy policies, which have angered many users.

He has raised more than $12.3 million so far, almost all of it from his own fortune. Harris has raised more than $3.3 million for her campaign, largely from small donations.

Five other Democrats hope the fractured field will push them into the general election.

In the race for the state’s No. 2 job, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is trying to keep his political career alive by appealing to young voters and touting his small business-background and leadership on gay marriage and universal health care.

He faces competition from Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who has said her gender and location in voter-rich Southern California would help balance a Democratic ticket in the fall led by gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.

Two Republicans in the race, state Sen. Sam Aanestad of Grass Valley and current Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, have sparred over who is a better representative of their party’s core ideals.

Down ballot, voters are being asked to pick their party’s candidate for state insurance commissioner, a position that will play a pivotal role in monitoring how the new federal health care reform law is implemented.

They also will choose a nominee for state controller, a job that involves watching over roughly $100 billion in transactions.

A dozen candidates also have filed for the nonpartisan superintendent of public instruction, which oversees state policies for local school districts. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two will move on to the general election.

Vying for the Republican nomination for secretary of state are former NFL journeyman Damon Dunn and Orange County lawyer Orly Taitz, a leader of the so-called birther movement challenging President Barack Obama’s citizenship. Although he seeks to run the office that regulates voting in the state, Dunn had never voted before 2009.

The winner will face Democratic incumbent Debra Bowen.